BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon knows what the Saints did for the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. He saw what the Yankees did for New York after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
And Glennon wants the Hokies to do the same for Virginia Tech as it recovers from the horrific campus shooting of April 16.
Sean Glennon thinks the Hokies can help the healing at Virginia Tech.
"I think we can," Glennon said. "People can say the Yankees and Saints are on a much larger scale than ya'll. But in the town of Blacksburg, I think we're on the radar as much as the Yankees are in New York and the Saints are in New Orleans. The people in this community really love Virginia Tech and they love the Hokies."
And, more than anything, the Hokies love each other, which is why Saturday's home opener against East Carolina (ESPN, noon ET) figures to bring an unprecedented wave of emotion to Lane Stadium.
The Virginia Tech campus has been abuzz with the normal excitement and anticipation that precedes a college football season. Tailgaters will fill the parking lot early Saturday morning. Alumni will return to campus. The bands will play. And "Enter Sandman" will once again announce the Hokies' entrance to the stadium.
The Hokies are ranked No. 9 in the national polls and are favorites to win the ACC title for the second time in four seasons. With eight starters returning to a defense that led the country in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense in 2006, and Glennon and tailback Branden Ore leading what might be a potent offense, the Hokies even have grand visions of competing for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game.
But the season opener against the Pirates also comes wrapped in sadness and anxiety. It has been 4½ months since Seung-Hui Cho, a troubled Virginia Tech student, shot and killed 32 of his schoolmates and faculty in the worst shooting spree in U.S. history. The victims and their families will be remembered during an emotional pregame ceremony, which will include a moment of silence and the release of 32 balloons, one for each of those killed.
"I don't know if this game could be duplicated," Glennon said. "What's going to happen in that stadium is probably something none of us will ever experience again. The emotion and togetherness 70,000 people are going to feel is something I don't have a benchmark for right now."
Neither does Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, who played football for the Hokies and has coached his alma mater for more than two decades.
Frank Beamer and the Hokie Nation hope to find strength in each other Saturday.
"I feel strongly that Tech people want to be with other Tech people," Beamer said. "Since the tragedy, it's been that way. I'd go to a Hokie Club meeting in Richmond and it's a record crowd. I'd go to Lynchburg the next night and it's a record crowd. I think the Hokie people want to be together. They want to show they're stronger than ever."
And Virginia Tech figures to have more support than ever. Until the Hokies played Florida State in the 1999 national championship game, they were largely a middle-of-the-pack program fighting for recognition outside of this working-class region at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
But after Virginia Tech's sorrow and grief was broadcast across the world during the days after the shooting, the country embraced the Hokies because of their strength and resolve.
Major league baseball teams wore Hokie hats. College stadiums were filled with orange and maroon during spring games. Universities from across the country offered financial and emotional support.
Virginia Tech became America's team.
"People that don't really care about football are going to be watching us now," Ore said.
Director of athletics Jim Weaver has no doubt the Hokies will put their best foot forward.
"I'm proud of that because I've always said athletics represent the front porch of an institution," Weaver said. "I think our young people have responded."
Virginia Tech's front porch is bigger than most schools. Perhaps no university takes as much pride and ownership in its athletic teams as the Hokies. Each day, students fill the campus of Gothic stone buildings and spacious green drill fields proudly wearing their school colors.
And more than anything, Hokies love their football.
"I think the fans and the whole community are really looking forward to this game as much as the players," said Glennon, who attended high school with the shooter and two of the victims. "I think they're ready to get into that stadium as much as we are."
So are the Hokies prepared to handle the burden and expectations of not only winning games, but also helping their community heal from one of the darkest days in American history?
"At Virginia Tech, it's always felt like football is more than a game," Glennon said. "It's weird when you're being asked to do more than win a game. Everybody's talking about us helping in the healing process and to provide some relief. It's strange that athletics can provide that.
"I think it's part of our duty and what we represent. We need to accept that we're in this role. We're in a position where people are always looking at us. I'm not saying we're a savior or we're going to magically heal, but I don't think too much can be asked of us. We've put ourselves in a position where we need to provide."
If anything, Ore said, the shooting is motivation for the Hokies to play better than ever before.
"We know what we have to do for the Hokie Nation," Ore said. "It's like having Superman on your chest. It's going to be there for a while."
Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at [email protected].
And Glennon wants the Hokies to do the same for Virginia Tech as it recovers from the horrific campus shooting of April 16.
Sean Glennon thinks the Hokies can help the healing at Virginia Tech.
"I think we can," Glennon said. "People can say the Yankees and Saints are on a much larger scale than ya'll. But in the town of Blacksburg, I think we're on the radar as much as the Yankees are in New York and the Saints are in New Orleans. The people in this community really love Virginia Tech and they love the Hokies."
And, more than anything, the Hokies love each other, which is why Saturday's home opener against East Carolina (ESPN, noon ET) figures to bring an unprecedented wave of emotion to Lane Stadium.
The Virginia Tech campus has been abuzz with the normal excitement and anticipation that precedes a college football season. Tailgaters will fill the parking lot early Saturday morning. Alumni will return to campus. The bands will play. And "Enter Sandman" will once again announce the Hokies' entrance to the stadium.
The Hokies are ranked No. 9 in the national polls and are favorites to win the ACC title for the second time in four seasons. With eight starters returning to a defense that led the country in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense in 2006, and Glennon and tailback Branden Ore leading what might be a potent offense, the Hokies even have grand visions of competing for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game.
But the season opener against the Pirates also comes wrapped in sadness and anxiety. It has been 4½ months since Seung-Hui Cho, a troubled Virginia Tech student, shot and killed 32 of his schoolmates and faculty in the worst shooting spree in U.S. history. The victims and their families will be remembered during an emotional pregame ceremony, which will include a moment of silence and the release of 32 balloons, one for each of those killed.
"I don't know if this game could be duplicated," Glennon said. "What's going to happen in that stadium is probably something none of us will ever experience again. The emotion and togetherness 70,000 people are going to feel is something I don't have a benchmark for right now."
Neither does Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, who played football for the Hokies and has coached his alma mater for more than two decades.
Frank Beamer and the Hokie Nation hope to find strength in each other Saturday.
"I feel strongly that Tech people want to be with other Tech people," Beamer said. "Since the tragedy, it's been that way. I'd go to a Hokie Club meeting in Richmond and it's a record crowd. I'd go to Lynchburg the next night and it's a record crowd. I think the Hokie people want to be together. They want to show they're stronger than ever."
And Virginia Tech figures to have more support than ever. Until the Hokies played Florida State in the 1999 national championship game, they were largely a middle-of-the-pack program fighting for recognition outside of this working-class region at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
But after Virginia Tech's sorrow and grief was broadcast across the world during the days after the shooting, the country embraced the Hokies because of their strength and resolve.
Major league baseball teams wore Hokie hats. College stadiums were filled with orange and maroon during spring games. Universities from across the country offered financial and emotional support.
Virginia Tech became America's team.
"People that don't really care about football are going to be watching us now," Ore said.
Director of athletics Jim Weaver has no doubt the Hokies will put their best foot forward.
"I'm proud of that because I've always said athletics represent the front porch of an institution," Weaver said. "I think our young people have responded."
Virginia Tech's front porch is bigger than most schools. Perhaps no university takes as much pride and ownership in its athletic teams as the Hokies. Each day, students fill the campus of Gothic stone buildings and spacious green drill fields proudly wearing their school colors.
And more than anything, Hokies love their football.
"I think the fans and the whole community are really looking forward to this game as much as the players," said Glennon, who attended high school with the shooter and two of the victims. "I think they're ready to get into that stadium as much as we are."
So are the Hokies prepared to handle the burden and expectations of not only winning games, but also helping their community heal from one of the darkest days in American history?
"At Virginia Tech, it's always felt like football is more than a game," Glennon said. "It's weird when you're being asked to do more than win a game. Everybody's talking about us helping in the healing process and to provide some relief. It's strange that athletics can provide that.
"I think it's part of our duty and what we represent. We need to accept that we're in this role. We're in a position where people are always looking at us. I'm not saying we're a savior or we're going to magically heal, but I don't think too much can be asked of us. We've put ourselves in a position where we need to provide."
If anything, Ore said, the shooting is motivation for the Hokies to play better than ever before.
"We know what we have to do for the Hokie Nation," Ore said. "It's like having Superman on your chest. It's going to be there for a while."
Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at [email protected].